Measles vaccination campaign launched in 2024

The Ministry of Health has issued a plan to implement a measles vaccination campaign in 2024.

Before the pandemic, the national vaccination rate for the first dose of measles vaccine was over 95% annually and the measles-rubella vaccination rate for 18-month-old children was over 90%.

Vaccination is an important measure to prevent infectious diseases, including measles. Photo: Chi Cuong

However, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, vaccination programs globally as well as in Vietnam have been affected, leading to many children missing vaccinations, including measles and rubella vaccines.

In addition, temporary disruptions in the supply of vaccines in the Expanded Immunization Program in some phases in 2022-2023 have affected vaccination rates for vaccines including measles and rubella vaccines.

Many children have not been vaccinated on schedule or have not received enough vaccines in recent years, leading to the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases returning, with new cases and outbreaks continuing to be recorded, if drastic and continuous measures to prevent and control diseases, especially vaccination, are not implemented.

The World Health Organization (WHO) assesses the risk of a measles outbreak in Vietnam as very high. WHO also recommends that in provinces and cities with high and very high risk and where there are current measles clusters, a vaccination campaign should be implemented. The remaining provinces and cities with low and medium risk should organize a review to catch up on vaccinations and catch-up vaccinations for children who missed vaccinations due to the pandemic.

The implementation of campaign vaccination and catch-up vaccination must be carried out urgently to prevent the epidemic from occurring, especially in places with clusters of cases to prevent the epidemic from spreading.

Due to the complex epidemiological characteristics of measles, the disease's ability to spread quickly and widely and its dependence on vaccination, vaccination needs to be implemented as soon as possible.

The Ministry of Health assessed that there are 18 provinces and cities in the outbreak risk group such as: Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Tinh, Dong Nai, Long An, Soc Trang, Binh Phuoc, Kien Giang, Quang Nam, Gia Lai, Dak Lak... Since the beginning of the year, Ho Chi Minh City has recorded more than 500 measles cases, including 3 deaths.

In this situation, the Ministry of Health has issued a plan to implement a measles vaccination campaign in 2024. This campaign will vaccinate children aged 1-10 in at-risk areas; medical staff at medical facilities treating measles patients who have not received enough doses of measles-containing vaccines as prescribed.

Priority is given to vaccination for the group from 1-5 years old. The specific age group for vaccination is decided by the provinces and cities based on the local epidemic situation, vaccine supply conditions, local resources and discussion and agreement with the regional Institutes of Hygiene and Epidemiology and Pasteur Institutes.

Localities will proactively investigate and make a vaccination list for children aged 1-10 years old, including transient children currently in the locality. Each child will receive 1 dose of measles-rubella (MR) vaccine.

Except for children who have been vaccinated with measles or MR vaccine or measles and/or rubella vaccine within one month before vaccination (with evidence of vaccination shown on the vaccination card, vaccination book, vaccination management software); children have received enough doses of measles-containing vaccine as prescribed.

The goal of this campaign is to increase the rate of measles immunity in the community to proactively prevent epidemics, reduce the incidence and mortality rate of measles in risk areas, areas with measles cases and measles epidemics.

The specific goal is that 95% of children in the group who have not received enough doses of vaccine as prescribed in risk areas and areas with measles cases/epidemics are vaccinated with 1 dose of measles-rubella vaccine.

The vaccination time is the third and fourth quarters of 2024, to be implemented soon after the vaccine is available.

The scope of implementation in phase 1 is 135 districts in 18 provinces and cities including Ha Giang, Hanoi, Ha Tinh, Hai Duong, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Gia Lai, Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Long An, Tay Ninh, Soc Trang, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Dong Thap, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Kien Giang.

Phase 2 will add additional implementation areas based on the results of screening and statistics of provinces and cities and proposals from regional Institutes of Hygiene and Epidemiology and Pasteur Institutes based on the measles epidemic situation at the time of screening to add additional provinces , districts, and communes for implementation.

Health experts say measles is considered a global threat because the measles virus of the Paramyxoviridae family spreads rapidly through the respiratory tract from sick people to healthy people in the community or even across borders.

Measles is dangerous because it not only causes acute symptoms but also puts patients at risk of nervous system infections, motor system disorders, damage to multiple organs in the body, and can leave many serious, long-lasting or even lifelong complications for patients such as encephalitis, meningitis, otitis media, pneumonia, diarrhea, corneal ulcers, blindness, etc.

In addition, measles is especially dangerous because it has the ability to erase immune memory, destroying an average of about 40 types of antibodies that can fight pathogens.

In children, a 2019 study by geneticist Stephen Elledge at Harvard University showed that measles eliminates between 11% and 73% of protective antibodies in children.

That is, when infected with measles, the patient's immune system will be destroyed and reset to its original immature, incomplete state like that of a newborn child.

To reduce the risk and prevent a resurgence of measles, WHO emphasizes that vaccination is the only way to protect children and adults from this potentially dangerous disease. Countries around the world are required to achieve and maintain a coverage rate of over 95% with 2 doses of measles vaccine.

Children and adults need to proactively get vaccinated against measles fully and on schedule to help the body produce specific antibodies against the measles virus, helping to prevent the risk of measles and severe complications, with outstanding effectiveness of up to 98%.

In addition, each person needs to proactively clean their eyes, nose, and throat with antiseptic solution every day. Limit gathering in crowded places, avoid close contact with people showing signs of measles or suspected of having the disease, and do not share personal items with people with the disease. Keep your living space clean and supplement foods to help strengthen the immune system.

If you experience symptoms of measles (fever, runny nose, dry cough, red eyes, sensitivity to light, rash all over the body), you should quickly go to the nearest medical center or facility for timely examination and treatment.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/ban-hanh-chien-dich-tiem-chung-vac-xin-soi-nam-2024-d223187.html